Dilemmas and directions of real-time detecting trapped individuals using ultra-wideband radar in building fire rescue

The crucial component of a successful building fire rescue is detecting trapped individuals efficiently and supporting firefighters in planning rescue and evacuation routes simultaneously. Due to its insensitivity to heat flow, great penetration, and high accuracy, Ultra-Wideband radar is widely used in autonomous driving and medical monitoring, but it has not yet been shown its full potential in fire rescue. In light of this, a summary of eight technical challenges for finding and rescuing trapped individuals in typical building fire scenarios is provided, which could be the traction to investigate the capability state of UWB radar technology. Five technological issues that restrict the use of UWB radar for fire rescue scene detection are discussed followed. Finally, 10 important technologies are presented in three directions to deal with the issues at hand, and several advanced technologies are planned in two directions to improve the performance of UWB radar in fire rescue.